


The Walk To Somewhere Better

by lmc_TicDonPete



Series: Peter Parker Whumpy One-Shots [3]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe- War, F/M, Hurt Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) Needs a Hug, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Deserves Better, Peter Parker Dies, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Has Issues, Peter Parker Has a Family, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Worried May Parker (Spider-Man)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-18 17:00:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18124019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmc_TicDonPete/pseuds/lmc_TicDonPete
Summary: Peter gets drafted into the army once he turns eighteen and prepares to leave his family behind.But not without a proper goodbye.





	The Walk To Somewhere Better

**Author's Note:**

> I think this story should take place some time around the Vietnam war. The historical facts aren’t all correct but drafting teens once they turn eighteen was true I think, but maybe not for that particular war. 
> 
> Takes place in the year 1954.

The apartment was cold.

A chilling waft of air that steadied itself in each room and made them shiver and their bones shake. The silence was deafening, a noise they wouldn’t forget, and despite such an awful amount of time when nothing was said or done, no one dared to start a conversation. The lights were on, but cast cruel shadows around the room that seemed to grow bigger since he had told them of the news.

Peter was going to war. Not by choice, but by law. Soldiers were going missing faster than anyone thought possible, dying in combat or being kept and tortured by the enemy. With the population of drafted soldiers getting lower and lower, the government had issued a temporary law stating anyone from the ages of eighteen through forty were tasked with fighting.

There were no arguments about it, or at least none in which action was taken because of them. People listened and had their sons put into the army while their daughters worked as pilots or nurses.

Peter didn’t want to go.

He wanted to serve his country, of course, but he couldn’t bare to leave his family behind. Not when he knew the enemy could strike at any moment and blow the city to smithereens. If he were to die, he’d die next to the ones he loved. However, the government cared not for what Peter wanted. He was to serve as a soldier until the war was won, or he died.

And he knew there was nothing to be done about it, but it didn’t mean he cried any less.

Peter would be arriving at the camp next week on a Thursday, which meant he was to leave tomorrow to catch the bus to the base. The bus would be filled with other teenagers just like him.

Sad, scared, numb teenagers who were still just kids. They seemed to forget the fact that despite technically being an adult, they were still just children who could get scared and occasionally wanted a hug from their mother and father. But that was besides the point. The point is, Peter didn’t want to go, he cousins go. He couldn’t leave May and Tony behind, he just couldn’t!

Ned was stationed at another base far away from his, and MJ was to go to a medical camp for the girls that were drafted.

Peter inwardly had hoped that if he were injured on the battle field, it would be Michelle healing him. He wouldn’t feel comfortable with anyone other than his best friend amputating his arm, or wrapping his burns.

May hadn’t been so happy either.

”They can’t just take you away!” She screamed, face full of horror and udder shock at the idea of forcing her nephew into the dangerous war, where he would undoubtably die in. “You have a life here, a family!”

”Aunt May, please...” Peter muttered. She wasn’t making this any better for him. The teen was already devastated enough knowing he probably would never see her beautiful face again, or feel her chapped lips against his forehead.

”No, no! They can’t jsut take you away from me. I won’t let them,” The older lady was crying now, tears making their way down her roast red cheeks and falling onto her t-shirt in no particular pattern. She was upset, as most mothers should be, or aunts for that matter. It was obvious that Peter didn’t want to go, so why should he?

”You can’t do anything, May. The bus is coming tomorrow and I’ll be gone,” Peter started, wiping a tear off of her wrinkling cheek in a faint attempt to offer her comfort. However, she only let out a frustrated cry and grabbed his hand with force and held it to her chest as she sobbed. “I’ll come back, I will.”

”You know damn well you might now,” She cried, gripping her nephews hand a little tighter when she noticed the tear tracks beginning to show on his own face. “You can’t promise me anything, Petey.”

Peter was feeling himself break. Like how you feel when you’ve bottled something up for too long and you slowly stray to feeling it rising to the surface. His heart was broken, his mind vague of any sort of ideas of what to do, what to think. He could be dying in the next few years, or he may never get to hug his aunt one last time. And just knowing that made Peter want to kill both him and his aunt now so they didn’t have to separate.

But he knew that wasn’t an option. May was destined to live out a long and glorious life full of wonder and love. Her fragile body wasn’t designed to handle so much heart break and betrayal. She was a strong women, no doubt, but if anyone could pull at her heart strings, it was Peter. It used to be Ben, but he was no longer around to provide her with love.

The boy was getting angry now. Angry that the country they loved was going against them right now. The country they live sin was breaking his aunt, and he could do nothing about it.

”I can promise I’ll be with you, no matter what happens,” Peter cried, bringing the women in from of him close to his chest. He was still shorter than her, which seemed like a bad thing at first, but being able to bury his head in her chest and neck was oblivion. Warm and cozy despite the fridged room they stayed in. “I might not come home, but I’ll still be with you.”

May let out a short huff if laughter and Peter almost pulled away in surprise.

”T-that was sappy, Pete,” She giggles, holding him in a deadly lock wishing her arms so he couldn’t escape. Even in this dark time, Peter allowed himself to smile, even let out a small laugh.

”Sorry, May,” He smiled. The lady led the two to the couch where they sat in a comfortable silence for hours upon end. Cuddled underneath a blanket under the room was not as freezing anymore, Peter huddles himaelf in the crook of his Aunt’s neck as she ran her fingers across his scalp. He could have fallen asleep right there.

An hour later, Tony was over having heard the news of Peter being drafted. He, like May, was not happy about this sudden news. In fact, he was livid.

”This is bullshit! Pure crap! You’re not leaving this damn apartment building to go fight in some war that’ll leave you dead!” Tony demanded, and Peter wished his mentor could actually do something about it. But, alas, the government wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. He was to leave tomorrow, no questions asked.

”I have to, Tony. I don’t have a choice,” Peter could feel the pure hatred and anger radiating off the billionaire. He’s never seen his father figure so works dup before in all the years he’s known him. Tony was always the sarcastic, laid-back kind of guy that argued when he had to that told people when they were idiots with no remorse. He wasn’t cruel, never angry at someone for more than a few minutes (unless it’s that guy from the paper company they order printing paper from, he was a real asshole).

Seeing him so angry scared Peter, but he supposed he rather see angry Tony than an angry drill Sargent.

”You will not be going and that’s final. They can pry you from my cold, dead hands,” Tony exaggerated, but deep down, Peter Know he was telling the truth. The genius would do anything to keep Peter safe, even if it meant breaking the law by not giving up his child to fight in the army.

”Tony, you’re only making his harder, please just forget about me,” Peter begged, hands outstretched to the man he thought of as his father in a faint attempt to rekindle the love they lost within the past few minutes in which Tony’s heart broke. 

Peter’s plea fell upon deaf ears. 

There was no way in hell Tony could ever forget about Peter Parker. Tony would always remember the way Peter dressed; a t-shirt a size to big with a pair of high wasted, lose jeans, cuffed at the bottom, long white ankle socks and his favorite pair of white converse that were far too old. Peter never wore anything else.

And Tony would remember Peter’s conversations with his aunt May. When she would invite Tony over for dinner and Peter would beg to let him stay the night because it was already dark out and didn’t want Tony to leave. They’d all sit on the couch and watch movies on the crappy television and the billionaire would listen to their conversations. They weren’t about anything in particular, just about weird and crazy things going on.

Soemtimes about school, or work, or really just their day in general.

But Tony relished in the feeling of being part of a family that was domestic, sweet and charming. It was like he had his own son, and he had always thought of May as family ever since they first met. The apartment was small but cozy and he could spend all day just lounging around without a care in the world.

Now, the apartment felt like a battle ground, ironically. 

The three argued for hours on end, and soon, it was no longer eight o’clock at night, but twelve in the morning. It was exhausting, listening to each one bicker over what would happen to Peter the next day.

Obviously, Tony and May begged for Peter to stay home, make a good enough excuse not to go. Unfortunately, Peter thought such an idea wasn’t modest or honest to who he was and what he felt. If he was obligated to serve his country, then he’d do so.

That didn’t stop it from hurting.

The next morning, when the bus rolled up in front of his apartment building already full of depressed teenagers who only wanted to go home, Peter cried. He cried long and hard as he got ready, ate his breakfast and hugged his family goodbye.

”I’ll miss you, Petey-Pie,” Tony muttered into Peter’s curly mop of hair as he stuffed his face into the boy’s scalp. One hand on the boys back, the other cake around to cradle his head into Tony’s neck where the man felt moisture slipping onto his shirt and wetting his skin. Tony didn’t care even though peter apologized profusely about it. “I love you.”

”I love you more, Tony. I’ll miss you so much,” Peter cried despite knowing the group of kids on the bus were staring at him as he said his goodbyes. He could care less about the awkward stares.

Moving onto May, the older women foercely grabbed the young boy into her arms and weeper until there were no lore tears to shed.

”Please... don’t go,” She muttered into the boy’s head, and Peter could already feel another round of tears flooding his eyes.

”I have to, but I promise I’ll be back before you know it,” Peter presses a long kiss to his aunts forehead before pulling away hesitantly as a frown formed on his face. “I love you.”

”I love you too, Peter.”

With nothing left to say, Peter trurned to the bus and climbed on with a sick feeling in his gut. Knowing that may have been the last time Peter ever saw the two most important people in his life, the boy let out a sob even though the whoem bus was practically boring holes into him.

The only salvation was the fact that Ned had been scheduled to ride on the same bus as his best friend to his own base. The two talked and talked for hours but Peter couldn’t find a reason to stop crying.

He wouldn’t stop crying until he was back in his family’s arms.

—————————————————————

May was expecting a letter much sooner, but she was elated when she finally got one in the mail that said it was from the United States Army. It had to have been Peter.

With a heart full of hopeful glee, the last opened the envelope and pulled out the letter, surprised to see it had been typed rather than hand written. But it wasn’t the quality of the letter that had shocked her into fainting.

No, it was the contents.

_Dear Miss May Parker,_

_I regret to inform you of the loss of your nephew, Peter Parker, during a routine search of the costal areas off the shore of Vietnam. We may not disclose anymore information at this time other than that Peter has been shot to death and found four hours later after not reporting back to base. An unfortunate ambush had occurred, taking his life._

_We appreciate his service and send our condolences from the United States National Army. Peter was an amazing kid._

_Sincerely, General McMaine of the USNA_

She knew this was going to happen. That may sound dark, but given the circumstances, it was inevitable. That didn’tean it hurt any less either. May felt her heart burn, her brain stop working and her lungs loose their air.

She disnt want to...

But she had to tell Tony.

All Tony did was cry for days on end, week upon week with little food or sleep and aggravated eyes. He knew he should ahve been trying harder to keep Peter from leaving, he should have hidden the boy so no one could have found him.

He should have done more.

If he had, Peter would still be alive and making fun of advertisements on the crappy television.

They wouldn’t have had to throw away all of Peter’s old t-shirts except for his favorite one because neither adult could part with it.

Tony could have slept over more, tell the kid how much he loved him and held him tight. He could had shown the kid that he was his son and loved him as such and so much more. They were family. And Tony wasn’t ashamed of stealing one of Peter’s sweatshirts and sleeping with it at night so he could pretend the kid was there with him during cold nights.

May wouldn’t have been completely heart broken, mute and crumbling for days after. With no one left but Tony, she spent her days in Peter’s room, hugging his pillows and breathing in the sweet smell of his sheets just so maybe his smell would rub off on her so she could remember him. They could still be together.

They wouldn’t have been broken.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i feel like that was sad. 
> 
> if you enjoyed, please feel free to comment, leave kudos and save for later! Lots of love- lmc


End file.
